Michael Franti & Spearhead
All Rebel Rockers

Michael Franti has an
unstoppable rebel spirit. Like Bono, Bob Marley, and
Bruce Springsteen, he has the ability to create an intimate, shared sense of
purpose for an audience, so much so that they leave his performances feeling
empowered and optimistic. After a Spearhead show, the stress and problems of
modern life donít seem so insurmountable, and one is filled with hope as well as
a belief that each individual is capable of making a difference in the world at
large.

Unfortunately, Frantiís albums have never really lived up to the promise of
his live shows. This has changed, however, with the release of All Rebel
Rockers. To make the endeavor, Franti traveled to Jamaica with his band
Spearhead to record with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, the legendary
drum-and-bass duo. Hearing the results, one only wishes that Franti had made
this move much earlier in his career. With All Rebel Rockers, Franti
finally has the kind of musical support that is worthy of the intensity of his
spirited singing and lyrics.

Every song on All Rebel Rockers is a sonic treat. Although, during
their 40 years in the music industry, Sly and Robbie have supported the likes of
Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan, there is nothing jaded or offhand about their
contributions to All Rebel Rockers. On every cut, they played as if their
lives depended on it. The variety and complexity of their beats and counter
rhythms are unfailingly innovative, lyrical, and intense. In terms of sheer
creativity, Dunbarís percussive work is absolutely without equal, and the
spontaneous, volcanic eruptions that Shakespeare coaxes from his bass could blow
the roof off a house. These self-taught men have a jaw-dropping ability to
improvise at lightening speed, and their accompaniments are so assured that they
sound effortless. It is immediately obvious that they do not form an ordinary
rhythm section. In fact, it wouldnít be a stretch to call Sly and Robbie the
"Miles Davis and John Coltrane" of reggae. Consequently, their pairing with
Franti is a marriage made in heaven, one that also has been long overdue.

Franti never could be accused of being subtle. Like Billy Bragg, his politics
are admirable, but his expressions are frequently obvious and heavy-handed.
Although his heart is in the right place, his lyrics typically are so direct
that they make people squirm. Yet, coupled with the propulsive rude-boy beats
that are conjured by Sly and Robbie, Frantiís songs achieve the sorts of power
and majesty that previously had eluded Spearhead. Tracks like Life in the
City and Hey World (Remote Control) are so incendiary that listeners
will want to run in the streets and start their own revolution.

All Rebel Rockers fulfills the promise of which Franti and his
longstanding outfit Spearhead simply have skirted around the edges ó until now.
Finally, the groupís party music has found the expression and the sense of
purpose that it has needed. If only Franti would go back to Jamaica to work with
Sly and Robbie on updating his early hits...well, that would be something to
shout about.